Zelda 2 disk sometimes glitchy, but not always. Corruption symptom?

[Phil_Bond]

I have this Zelda 2 disk which, the first two or three times I loaded it, wouldn't display the overworld properly when scrolling. It would look correct on entry, but then garbage tiles would roll in from the edges when you walked in any direction. Side scrolling levels were fine, and the garbage-looking overworld tiles still had the correct functional properties, but I found this distressing. Then though, I turned the Famicom off and reloaded the disk one more time, and it worked properly for an hour, all the way until I turned it off for the day.

My question to you experts is: where do you think the error is? Disk drive? Cartridge slot adaptor? Corrupted disk? I assumed the disk was going bad, but why would it suddenly work correctly again? Is this a familiar kind of thing for you guys? I have some soldering experience, and I've been perusing the articles here about making PC-disk drive interfaces. Is this considered a reliable route to repair disks?

[ericj]

It could be that the RAM Adapter - Cart slot connection wasn't that great (try cleaning them both and making sure the Adapter is seated correctly in the slot). It could also be that the read head in the FDS is a bit dirty. It can be cleaned easily with a q-tip and isopropyl alcohol.

Disks can be rewritten a few different ways. It's only as reliable as the drive used to rewrite the disk. Check out my site (link in signature) for more info. I also offer a disk rewriting service for a small fee.

[Phil_Bond]

Awesome site. I've been reading it all day. So you don't think the disk is corrupt? How long do these disks usually last?

[ericj]

Thanks for the compliment! 

The disk surface might be a bit dirty, but if the disk data was corrupted it most likely would never load correctly. The magnetic charge on the disk media would slowly become weaker over time, too.

I'm not sure how long the disks would last in a sealed case, but storage and environmental factors (e.g., left out of the protective case, near magnetic sources, in high humidity areas, in direct sunlight, etc.) play a large part in their longevity. Typical lifespan would probably be about the same as other floppy disks.

[guineapig64]

I agree with ericj.  It could be possible that the read head may be dirty.  I know that I had to clean the read head to my Famicom Disk System because it kept telling me that there was some disk trouble which didn't make sense to me since all three of the Famicom Disk System games that I own were brand new never before played copies so I figured that the read head needed cleaned and so I used a q-tip and dipped it in my game cleaning solution that I have and it worked great after that.

It could also be the RAM Adapter since my RAM Adapter sometimes gets a little glitchy when it's not put into the Famicom's cartridge slot correctly and so I cleaned both the RAM Adapter and the Famicom's cartridge slot and they've been working really well ever since.

If there is a problem with the disk itself, I'm not sure what to say there since I'm no expert when it comes to disks but there are a lot of people on this site who know what they're doing including ericj.

I always try my best to help everyone out but sometimes I'm not so great at helping others out.